Concerns remain that an extension of the closure of the 3G network will not be long enough, after Telstra and Optus announced they would again extend the wind down until October 28.

The two telcos say this will provide extra time for all Australians to be ready to move to 4G and 5G and to conduct one last public safety awareness campaign.

Mark Coulton, Federal Member for Parkes said he thinks this is a sensible move.

“It’s not just about the telcos being ready, but there’s still a large number of people who will be impacted who have not yet upgraded their own handsets and devices,” Mr Coulton said. “There are many non-mobile devices that use the 3G network, including medical monitors, EFTPOS machines, baby monitors, tracking equipment and more.”

The isolation of regional workers, families and older people will be exacerbated if they cannot access 3G reliant equipment, particularly in the case of an emergency.

NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee Chair Deb Charlton, weighed in on the issue saying switching off the 3G network without proper community engagement and support would spell disaster for many in the bush.

“With many farmers often working alone and a long way from help, switching off the 3G network without proper community engagement and support would spell disaster for many in the bush,” she said.

"It would also lead to losses in productivity, Ms Charlton said.

“A huge range of farm machinery, as well as mobile phones, could also stop functioning if not upgraded in time for the network shutdown – leaving farmers without the tools they need to grow food and bringing agricultural operations to a grinding halt.” she said.

“Connectivity is a critical tool, and so we can’t spare any time or expense when it comes to keeping our rural and regional communities connected and safe moving forward.”

Secretary and Publicity Officer of the NSW Isolated Children’s and Parent’s Association (ICPA), Libby McPhee offered insight into the perspective of the closure on members of the ICPA organisation and their extended families.

“The biggest problem, as we see it, is the fact that they need the 3G spectrum to make the 4G work properly,” Ms McPhee said. “They have to try the 4G, and if it doesn’t work than they’ve got to be ablet to switch back. We can't have a situation where people can't make a phone call in an emergency. The phase out has been coming for so long that this should have been sorted, because reliable phone service is something we can't go without.”

“At the moment, our service is haphazard. You can go up the road and it drops out and this is an issue with our students that are traveling on school buses. It's been a three-year process to shut 3G down, it wasn't something that decided overnight. Once they switch the 3G network, they should be absolutely certain that the 4g is going to work really well.”

Ms McPhee said she also holds concerns for the older population.

“The population out there that are still running on 3G and still have old equipment are probably in the bracket of 75 and up, and many are not attuned to the fact that they need to upgrade,” she said.

“I think age and cost is compounding their decision to not upgrade. They're saying, ‘why would I want to do it, because it doesn't work’. When there's no option and they're not set up for it, it's going to be a big issue.”

The ICPA sit on Telstra’s Regional Councils which enables them to get information to impart to members, but there are still plenty of concerns.

“We primarily come from a child safety perspective with this issue,” Ms McPhee said. “Education wise, most things are delivered through the internet and NBN so this 4G upgrade is more about the safety for our children, because they're traveling on roads for long distances and may little opportunity to have anyone help them if they need to. Things that are going to impact on our members greatly.”

Mr Coulton advised that if you are unsure if you’re impacted, text ‘3’ to ‘3498’ and the response will let you know if you need to act.

“If you’ve got older equipment you need to be proactive and upgrade it now, or you risk losing connectivity from 28 October,” he said.

For more information about the 3G closure, visit: https://amta.org.au/3g-closure/